Around Campus

Giving a little means a lot

By Tom Cain

Judging by the participation level alone, the University's annual Faculty and Staff Campaign to raise funds for UNF is an unmitigated success. Thirty-six percent of faculty and staff participated in the campaign, up 12 percent over last year. While the numbers are great, it's what they say about the University community that's most significant.

"First, it demonstrates to others that the UNF family believes and supports its mission of education," said Dr. Pierre Allaire, vice president of Institutional Advancement. "Second, we are often asked by others from whom we seek funding about how the employees view UNF. It is powerful for us to show that we have such a high participation rate."

Brandon McCray, assistant vice president for development, concurred with Allaire about private donors being interested in how employees support UNF. He also added: "Faculty and staff at UNF have a strong sense of loyalty. They stick around a long time and feel invested in the institution." The feelings of loyalty and investiture have proven a powerful stimulus for employees to participate in the campaign.

At 36 percent, UNF is ahead of the national average of 27 percent participation for giving among colleges and universities. Brieanna Quinn, director of Annual Giving, attributes a good deal of the success of this year's campaign, which began in October and will end in June, to getting the word out to the campus community about the Faculty Staff Campaign. She said deans, department chairs, administrators and the USPS, Faculty and A&P Association presidents collaborated to communicate that participation is important.

Lance Taylor realized long ago that participation is critical. Taylor, assistant vice president and chief information officer at the University, has worked at UNF for 32 years. For the last 26 of those years, he has contributed to the Faculty Staff Campaign. "I continue to do so even in these tight economic times," Taylor said. "I do so for two primary reasons. First of all, it is an opportunity to help fund activities that cannot be funded with state dollars. Secondly, as an alum with two degrees from UNF, it allows me to give something back to my alma mater."

Taylor also added another reason why it's important for faculty and staff to contribute to the campaign. "When our Advancement staff members speak with potential donors, it's beneficial to be able to tell them that the faculty and staff are partners in contributing to the continued success of UNF."

Making people aware of the campaign has produced results even in these scary economic times when money is scarce. "I have been genuinely impressed with the generosity of my colleagues at UNF," Quinn said. "I think we all want what is best for the students, and all of us support UNF with our time, talent and treasure so that students can continue to receive a world-class education regardless of the economic conditions."

Quinn also credited the easy accessibility of an online form for campaign giving available on myWings with helping to boost participation. "They can log onto myWings from their network computer and give through the online form for an easy payroll deduction gift. Or they can give online via credit card or write a check," Quinn said, referring to faculty and staff. "We make it easy."

Another inducement to participating in the Faculty Staff Campaign is weekly prize drawings and appreciation events. More than 20 local businesses contributed prizes for the drawings. The prizes included VIP golf passes for four to an area course, a weekend hotel stay, several restaurant gift certificates and tickets to shows at the Fine Art Center. "In addition to our annual donors, each year there are new businesses wanting to get involved with the campaign because of the positive energy and motivation it pulls from our employees," said Lyndse Costabile, assistant director of Annual Giving. One of the appreciation events was a December breakfast and program. Near the end of February, the Heritage Institute for Massage Therapy sponsored the second annual Faculty Staff Massage Therapy Event. Campaign donors can indicate where they want their contribution used. Academic programs, student activities, scholarships and athletics are just some of the areas donors have earmarked for their donations. For Quinn, it's all about participation. "Participation is more important than the amount [of funds raised]," she said adamantly. "Think about it. One dollar per paycheck equals $26 per year. Eighty-three percent of the gifts to UNF in calendar year 2008 were under $100, so every dollar does make a difference, and that is the important message. Those dollars collectively can really make a difference for future and current Ospreys."

Plans are already under way for next year's campaign. The first-ever Faculty Staff Committee will help with next year's campaign. "We look forward to working with our colleagues who will bring fresh ideas, energy and insight to make our campaign even better," Costabile said.

Around Campus

Student Health Services offered to all

Responding to a need expressed for years, Student Health Services now offers faculty and staff quality health care and testing at affordable prices for those nagging aches, pains and illnesses.

Student Health Services in February started seeing employees for acute health care needs, lab services, x-rays, immunizations and travel health information. Acute health-care needs are medical issues that are not ongoing or chronic. Employees pay $35 a visit to see a health-care provider. For lab work, health-screening tests and X-rays, they pay the same amount as students do, $5 to $150, depending on the procedure, plus a $20 facility fee. Employees can also bring medical orders from their primary doctors for lab work and screening.

"Each year we would give employees flu shots, and at that time many said they wish they could come here [Student Health Services] for health care," said Doreen Perez, director of Student Health Services, referring to the clinic's former location in Building 14. "On several occasions, employees with a cold, sinus infection or urinary-tract infection would come to the center and request care and we would have to send them off campus."

That's no longer the case, thanks in large part to Student Health Services' move last August into its new 9,000-square-foot health center in the Brooks College of Health Addition. The new place is three times as large as Student Health Services' former space and has 10 exam rooms compared to five at the old place. It also has digital x-ray equipment and a room dedicated to health procedures. Convenient, high-quality health care less expensive than a visit to a hospital emergency room or a walk-in clinic are a couple of reasons Perez gave for employees to consider using Student Health Services.

The feedback from five employees who've used Student Health Services has been positive, Perez said. "You do not have to leave campus to access health care," she said. "The only drawback is we do not do third-party billing." Employees have to pay the initial charges up-front and be reimbursed by their health insurance companies.

"An employee would want to consider this service as it can allow them to get back to work promptly and receive conscientious, confidential medical care that is highly cost-effective," said Dr. Fred Beck, chief medical officer for Student Health Services. "In this era of high deductibles and under insurance, there is no one in the community who can compete with our prices. This service benefits the University by minimizing the time employees spend away from campus."

Student Health Services does not treat broken bones but does treat sprains. A complete blood count, a lipid profile, which consists of a group of tests used to determine coronary heart disease risks, and strep testing are some of the lab-work procedures available. Perez said employees need to know that Student Health Services will not serve as a primary-care provider; will treat acute illness only; will not see employees for a multitude of issues; will not fill requests for chronic medications or narcotics; and will not conduct or approve Workers' Compensation claims nor family or medical leaves of absence.

Perez said the project for employees to receive health care through Student Health Services is actually a pilot study at this time. While the timeframe hasn't been set for the pilot study, it will be assessed according to how many employees take advantage of the service and whether their participation saves time and money.

To make an appointment, employees should call ext. 2175. Schedule permitting, same-day appointments will be offered.

Around Campus

A great place to meet

By Dave Roman

The new Olympic-quality track at Hodges Stadium will not only enable UNF to bid on hosting NCAA and other championship meets, it will help put UNF and Jacksonville on the map as a destination for athletes and fans.

Hodges Stadium gives the city a fourth major sports venue, along with Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena and the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, capable of hosting national and even international events.

"Jacksonville is becoming known as a sports destination because of the Jaguars, the Super Bowl and a number of other things that we've held," said John Reyes, president of Visit Jacksonville, formerly the Jacksonville and the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau. "With a quality facility like this, it opens up Jacksonville to start hosting events we haven't been able to in the past."

Reyes said he envisions UNF hosting the U.S. Olympic trials, NCAA championships and other major track and field meets as well as lacrosse and soccer tournaments. Hodges Stadium has already hosted international rugby matches and served as the training facility for Super Bowl team.

"That means bringing a lot of exposure and revenue to the University and to the Jacksonville community," Reyes said.

Last month, more than 1,700 high school and college athletes competed during the three-day UNF Spring Break Open Track and Field Meet. This month, UNF will host the UNF Osprey Challenge, a one-day invitational with six teams. And in May the Atlantic Sun Conference will hold its 2009 Men's and Women's Track and Field Championship on UNF's $2.6 million Mondo rubberized track. It's the same surface that athletes competed on in the Beijing Olympics and one of a handful of similar tracks in the United States.

In addition to meets, Mark VanAlstyne, UNF's cross country and track coach, said Hodges Stadium would host northern teams seeking a respite from the snow and a warm place to work out during spring break. Three teams that competed in the UNF Spring Break Open spent the week in Jacksonville, working out on the UNF track.

"It will bring revenue to the area," said Athletics Director Lee Moon. "I think we'll have people, if we have track and field events, who will want to come to Jacksonville to participate in the events. It will enhance the visitor base to the Northeast Florida area and Jacksonville in particular. I know I'm excited about it."

The University charges as much as $10,000 a day for use of the facility, with the prices based on what parts of the stadium are being used. There's even a $75 hourly rate for teams wanting to work out. VanAlstyne said there's no doubt the facility can bring in money, but it will have to be marketed and staffed properly to do so.

"Five or six years down the road, if it's really utilized and marketed properly, I'd be disappointed if it wasn't bringing in well into the six figures," he said.

Reyes said what impresses him is that the UNF Athletics Department "gets it." He said UNF understands that the track gives Jacksonville another "product to sell" that will draw visitors Ð and bring in tax revenue Ð to the city. With that in mind, the Tourist Development Council agreed to fund up to $50,000 to help offset costs for this spring's track meets, with the final figure based on a formula tied to the number of hotel room stays the meets generate.

Hodges Stadium, which seats about 9,500 spectators, also gives coaches something more to sell when recruiting student athletes. More than 600 high school athletes participated in the Spring Break Open. For many of them, the meet served as an introduction to UNF. VanAlstyne has scheduled four other high school meets in the stadium this spring and is in discussions about a fifth.

VanAlstyne said he expects the track to "totally transform" UNF's recruiting." The competition for Division I athletes is stiff, but UNF now finds itself in a better position for that competition. Scheduling the high school meets in Hodges Stadium introduces athletes to the UNF campus and the new track.

"No one will have a better facility on their campus than we do," he said.

Moon said he sees the new facility achieving the goal that VanAlstyne set out to achieve years ago when he first proposed building a new track.

"It literally puts us on the map as having a world-class track facility that will attract, hopefully, NCAA competitions, national and international events," he said. "That means bringing a lot of exposure and revenue to the University and to the Jacksonville community."

Around Campus

UNF Offers Summer Camps for Kids

By Julie Williams

The countdown is on. Elementary, middle and high school students are two months away from their long-anticipated summer break. Once they recover from science fair projects, late-night homework sessions, FCAT testing and essay papers, your kids will be looking for new and exciting adventures to fill their summer days.

Regardless of what school-aged kids are interested in doing this summer - canoeing, hiking, fine-tuning their musical talents, reading, focusing on academics, swimming, surfing, becoming a junior lifeguard or playing baseball, soccer, tennis or volleyball - UNF offers a variety of summer camps to keep them busy. The following list shows some of the many camps offered at UNF, including dates, age categories and costs. For specific information or to register for any camp, refer to the phone number or Web site listed. Happy camping!

Around Campus

UNF Women's Center Honors Service and Leadership during Women's History Month

The UNF Women's Center honored five members of the campus community at the Center's 21st annual Women's History Month Luncheon in March. Dr. Christine Rasche, Dr. Kristine Webb, Dr. Anita Vorreyer, Taisir El-Souessi and Jocilyn Goodwin-Thompson were presented with awards for their service to the women of UNF.

Rasche received a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of a career of tireless and selfless advocacy on behalf of the women of UNF. She is one of the University's founding faculty and also founded the University's gender studies minor and Criminal Justice Program. In addition, she was a member of the founding boards of the UNF Women's Center and Hubbard House. She retired as associate professor of criminal justice in December 2008.

Webb received the prestigious Susan B. Anthony Award from prior award winner Dr. Annabel Brooks of Student Affairs. The award is given annually to an individual who actively promotes women's growth at UNF, works to improve the position of women on campus through advocacy and education and exhibits qualities of leadership on campus. Webb is director of the Disability Resource Center and associate professor of education. She is a past nominee for the EVE Award in Education, the 2007 recipient of the Outstanding Faculty Service Award at UNF and the 2003 UNF nominee for the national Council for Advancement and Support of Education Professor of the Year Award.

The Women's Center also recognized Vorreyer with an Appreciation of Service Award. She served as director of the UNF Women's Center from 1995 to 2008 and has also served as interim assistant vice president for Student Life, adjunct faculty in the College of Education and Human Services, and co-director of the Bette Soldwedel Gender Research Center. Most recently, she worked on special assignment to assist with UNF's Southern Association of Schools and Colleges (SACS) accreditation process. This month Vorreyer joins the administration of Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville.

Taisir El-Souessi and Jocilyn Goodwin-Thompson received Student Leadership and Service Awards for their work with Peer Theater, a student organization that raises awareness of violence against women through performances and presentations. El-Souessi is a graduate student in mental health counseling and was the director of the V-Day UNF 2009 benefit performance of "The Vagina Monologues." Goodwin-Thompson is an undergraduate studying graphic design. She presents risk-reduction information to incoming first-year students through orientation sessions.

Recipients of the spring 2009 Bette Soldwedel Research Grants were also announced. Dr. Elizabeth Furdell, professor of history, and Eleni Akapnitis, a UNF student studying sociology, were each awarded stipends to fund research efforts.

For more than 20 years, the UNF Women's Center has been a vital hub of learning and advocacy for the University community. The Women's Center provides emergency loans, victim advocacy services, rape awareness education as well as information and referrals on a variety of women's issues, in addition to hosting performances, lectures and events each year. For more information about the Women's Center at UNF, call ext. 2528.

Briefs

Enlivening Spaces

Talk about bridging the gap between classroom learning and real world experience, a group of students from Jenny Hager-Vickery's Enlivened Spaces class created a large-scale art project titled "Contrasting Nature," which they temporarily installed on the Nature Trails bridge over Lake Oneida March 23. The structure is comprised of galvanized pipe, custom steel brackets and various fabrics, including a fabric normally used for privacy fences and tennis courts.

According to Hager-Vickery, an art and design instructor, the primary objective of the class is to inspire artwork that transforms and enhances an existing space. Other objectives include generating ideas, drawing up proposals, creating models, obtaining appropriate permission for installing and displaying the piece, scaling up the work for the specific space for which it is designed, designing and agreeing upon a budget for the project (more than $500 for this particular project that the students contributed themselves), getting quotes, purchasing materials, building the project and installing and removing it.

"I try to encourage big ideas and then help guide the students in producing them," Hager-Vickery said. "The students do all of the work necessary to create a project of this scale. My role is to create a schedule/mini-deadlines, to make sure the class is moving forward as planned, to generate discussions on budget, aesthetic, safety and structural decisions, and to make sure the group dynamic stays positive, productive and enthusiastic."

The upper-level art and design course is designed to empower the students to work independently. Student Scott Mihalik came up with the idea for the project and served as the project leader. But because of the scale of the project, collaboration is a large part of the process and curriculum. "The seven students involved pooled skills, resources, design ideas, money and time to create this work," Hager-Vickery said. "They literally shared their specific skills with each other. Some showed others how to weld or sew, while others contributed ideas about engineering and construction."

Because the students weren't allowed to screw anything into the bridge structure, a custom-designed bracket was fashioned and used so that nothing penetrated the wood of the bridge.

"All of the elements of the structure were built in the Sculpture Studio behind the Fine Arts Center," Hager-Vickery said. "When all of the components were completed, the students brought them out to the bridge and assembled them. Because of all of the planning and testing, the installation itself took less than an hour."

The structure was scheduled to be removed March 27, but the students requested permission to leave it up for a while longer to allow more trail users to enjoy it.

"A project of this scale is a challenge and they pulled it off beautifully," Hager-Vickery said. "I hope the bridge project inspires people to see and visit our class's work."

Ask UNF

Taking college entrance exams more than once can help

The thought of standardized tests sends shivers down the spines of high school students everywhere. Pressure to get a good score can stress even the most laid-back student. There's no way to get around the test, but knowing you can take the test multiple times can help release some of the pressure. Probyn Inniss, minority recruitment coordinator at UNF, talks about when students should take the test and how often, as well as questions to consider when applying to colleges.

When should high school students take the SAT and ACT?I encourage students to take the SAT and ACT in the spring of their junior year and again as a senior, although they can start earlier if they are motivated. By taking the test as a junior, it guarantees that scores will be received before the application priority deadline, which is usually mid-fall. Also, it gives students several opportunities to re-test if they aren't satisfied with their score on the first try.

Does it help to take both the SAT and the ACT? Yes, some test takers do perform better on one test than the other. That being said, the best way to do well on either exam is to prepare (study) early and take advantage of the resources available at schools and libraries.

How many times can or should a student take the ACT or SAT?A student can take the ACT or SAT as many times as he or she likes, but I suggest taking it no more than two or three times. Since almost all schools now take a student's highest combined score when evaluating them for admission, students and parents don't need to worry that multiple scores will reflect poorly on their application. As long as a student does his or her best to prepare, the student should achieve his or her full potential by trying two or three times.

When should parents begin the college conversation with their kids? Start talking to your student about college when he or she is in middle school. A student who decides to go to college before high school is able to use all four years to help reach his or her goals. If you know the courses you need to take in high school, you can start satisfying college admission requirements as early as the eighth grade. The decisions you make about your high school studies can influence whether the college you choose will also choose you.

What are several questions a student should consider when applying to college? One thing to consider is the importance of fit. This means that students must think beyond where many of their friends are going the following year (don't follow the crowd, chart your own destiny) or where their family members have gone (holding on to tradition). As you begin to peruse the masses of college brochures and magazines, you must ask yourself "Can I call this place home for the next four years?" If the answer is yes, the next question should be "Does this institution provide a good balance of academic enrichment (intellectual growth) with social and professional opportunities?" If the answer is yes, the third question a student should ask is "What is required in order for me to be admitted?" Once you have answered these basic questions, you should begin the application process as early as possible.

Every month, the column "Ask UNF" runs in Inside and The Florida Times-Union, promoting the expertise of UNF faculty and staff

Faculty & Staff

Brooks College of Health

Nutrition and Dietetics:

Dr. Judith C. Rodriguez was elected president of the American Dietetic Association (ADA), the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. With 70,000 members, the ADA is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. She takes office in June 2009 and will serve as president-elect, president and past president for a three-year term. Rodriguez also gave a presentation titled "Have a Healthy Heart" for the Heart of a Woman Luncheon in February for the Women of Color Cultural Foundation Inc. Dr. Susan McMarlin was one of the panelists.

Dr. Catherine Christie was recently elected at-large delegate of the ADA. Drs. Shahla Khan, Catherine Christie, Judith Rodriguez and Julia Watkins published "Health Implications of Food Patterns in Belize" in the January/March 2009 issue of Clinical Nutrition (Vol. 24, No. 1). This project was funded by a 2006 TLO grant.

Public Health:

Dr. Kerry L. Clark gave a presentation after the showing of "Under Our Skin" by the Northeast Florida Lyme Association at the Atlantic Beach Theatre in March. He discussed his human Lyme disease research findings and answered questions.

Coggin College of Business

Accounting and Finance: An article written by Dr. Tom Barton and his co-authors from the University of Virginia, Bill Shenkir and Paul Walker will inaugurate a series of articles in the journal Financial Executive. The series will update research studies published by the Financial Executive Institute's research arm, FERF, and is in commemoration of FERF's 65th anniversary. Barton's article titled "ERM: The Changing Landscape" analyzes how the practice of enterprise risk management has evolved over the last decade. It will appear in the June 2009 issue of Financial Executive.

College of Arts and Sciences

Art and Design:

Louise Freshman Brown's paintings were exhibited at the Mennello Museum of Art in Orlando and the Terrace Gallery in Orlando's City Hall. The exhibitions were titled "Picturing Florida, from the First Coast to the Space Coast." In February, Brown lectured and presented her collage works at the Third International Conference on Design Principles and Practices at Technical University in Berlin, Germany. Vanessa Cruz exhibited "Fragile Bodies" (drawing and video) at a National Juried Exhibition at Northern Kentucky University in February.

Jenny Hager's work was included in the Imagillaboration Traveling Exhibition at Georgia Perimeter College in Atlanta in February and March.

Dr. Debra Murphy organized and chaired the session titled "Southern Influences/Southern Themes" for the Southeastern College Art Conference at the annual meeting of the College Art Association in Los Angeles in February.

Biology:

Dr. Joe Butler presented "Survey of the Distribution of Ornate Diamondback Terrapins in the Big Bend Region of Florida" to the Florida Regional Meeting of the Diamondback Terrapin Working Group in February.

Dr. Judy Ochrietor presented a poster at the 48th annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco.

Dr. Cliff Ross presented a research seminar at The University of Florida's Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences titled "Under Water Adhesives: Wound Healing Strategies in Marine Algae" in February.

Chemistry and Physics:

Dr. Phil Davis presented "Entropy and Structure of Methylisocyanate" at the Chemistry and Physics Colloquium in February.

Drs. Lev Gasparov, Nirmal Patel and Tom Pekarek, along with undergraduate students from the Department of Chemistry and Physics, published a paper titled "Raman Studies of Doped Magnetite Above and Below the Verwey Transition" in the Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 105, No. 1, 2009. Patel and Dr. Jay Huebner, along with undergraduate students from the Department of Chemistry and Physics, received news that their article titled "Odor Sensing with Indium Tin Oxide Thin Films on Quartz Crystal Microbalance," which was published in Sensors and Transducers Journal, Vol. 91, Issue 4, April 2008, has been selected among the 10 best articles published in Sensors and Transducers in 2008.

English:

Dr. Mark Ari published a short story titled "No One Can Talk to the Birds" in Jewish Magazine, Issue 231, March 2009 (http://www.jewishmag.com/index.htm).

Dr. Clark Lunberry published an essay titled "Soliloquies of Silence: James Turrell's Theatre of Installation," in Mosaic, Vol. 42, No. 1, March 2009.

History:

Dr. David Courtwright gave an address titled "Brain Freeze: Resistance to the New Addiction Science" at a conference on Addiction, the Brain and Society at Emory University in February.

Dr. Daniel Dreibelbis gave a talk titled "What is Elliptic Curve Cryptography?" at the Joint Meetings of the Mathematical Association of America and the Florida Two-Year College Mathematics Association at Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers.

Dr. Scott Hochwald gave a talk titled "Mathematical Amusements" and a second talk as the Mathematical Association of America Governor at the 2009 Joint Meetings of the MMA and the Florida Two-Year College Mathematics Association at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers.

Debora Simonson presented a talk titled "Collinearity in Multile Linear Regression Analysis" at the 32nd annual conference of the Southwest Educational Research Association in San Antonio.

Music:

Dr. Gordon R. Brock served in February as a guest conductor at the 35th Annual Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic at Troy University in Troy, Ala., where he conducted the Troy University Symphony Band plus a high school honor band.

Dr. Marc Dickman was a featured artist and clinician at Western Michigan University in February. The same month he also was a featured jazz artist at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

J.B Scott was a featured performer with the Meridian Symphony Orchestra in Mississippi. His group, J.B. Scott's Swingin' All-stars, performed a Mardi Gras Concert for the Hilton Head Symphony Society in February.

Dr. Randy Tinnin performed Contrasts, a lecture/recital featuring his paper "Premire Solo de Cornet  Pistons, by Georges He: Music of the Concours for Cornet of the Paris Conservatory after Arban," at the College Music Society Conference at the University of Central Florida in February.

Psychology:

Dr. Rebecca Marcon presented the paper "Do Preschoolers' Own Names Influence Their Knowledge about Letter Names?" with four student authors at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association in New Orleans in February.

Sociology and Anthropology:

Dr. Gordon F.M. Rakita published a chapter titled "Mortuary and Non-Mortuary Ritual Practices at the Pre-Hispanic site of Paquim (Casas Grandes), Chihuahua, Mexico" in "Reanalysis and Reinterpretation in Southwestern Bioarchaeology," part of the Arizona State Museum's Anthropological Monograph Series.

Dr. Patricia Geesey presented a paper titled "Madness and Hybridity in Lela Marouane's La Vie Sexuelle d'un Islamiste  Paris" at the "Littrature-Monde: New Wave or New Hype?" International Conference at the Winthrop-King Institute for Contemporary French and Francophone Studies at Florida State University in February.

Dr. Nuria Ibez-Quintana presented "Electtra-Babel, Rememoracin Escnica de un Viaje de Reencuentro" at the annual meeting of the Northeast Modern Language Association in Boston in February.

College of Computing, Engineering and Construction

Dean's Office:

Dr. Neal Coulter served as a judge for the First Coast Manufacturers Association's 2008 Excellence in Manufacturing Awards. School of Computing: Dr. Charles Winton conducted a Botball Robotics Educator's Workshop for Florida and Georgia educators Jan. 23-24 at UNF.

Jean Fryman presented "What is an Engineer Anyway?" to gifted students during National Engineers Week at Hendricks Avenue Elementary School in February. She also hosted UNF's annual "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" event in February. Approximately 100 girls ages 8 to 18 attended the event.

Drs. Alexandra Schonning and Steve Nix received high honors at the Feb. 21 Northeast Florida Engineers Week Banquet. Schonning was named Professor of the Year and Nix was named Engineer of the Year.

College of Education and Human Services

Childhood Education:

Dr. Gigi M. David will be one of the guest authors at the annual Young Writer's Workshop at Jacksonville Country Day School April 18. This is an outreach event for inner-city fourth- and fifth-grade students who are interested in writing and have been recommended by their classroom teachers. Children come from different areas around Jacksonville to participate in a couple of workshops led by local authors. This is David's fourth year participating.

Dr. Katie Monnin accepted a book contract with Maupin House Publishers for her book titled "Teaching Graphic Novels."

Dr. Nile Stanley published a new book with audio CD, "Performance Literacy through Storytelling," published by Maupin House Publishing in Gainesville. Stanley is also part of a performance literacy duo that combines music, story and poetry, ER Ð Entertain Reading, along with undergraduate psychology major Ben Brenner. They will be featured storytellers for the Jacksonville Public Library's summer story time series.

Drs. Christine Weber and Terence Cavanaugh presented a full paper on "Optimizing Secondary Gifted Students' Literary Experiences with Ebooks" which was co-authored by Dr. Nile Stanley at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference in Charleston, S.C., in March. Weber and Dr. Laurel Stanley presented a paper on "Increasing Parents' Perceptions about Raising Gifted Children" at the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA) in Sarasota in February.

Exceptional Student and Deaf Education:

Dr. Donald Moores has been selected to give a keynote address to the International Congress on Education of the Deaf, to be held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in July. The Congress convenes every five years. Moores' keynote will be on the topic "Education of Learners with Diverse Needs."

Foundations and Secondary Education:

Drs. Richard Chant and Jeffrey Cornett presented a paper titled "Social Studies Professors' Theorizing: Insights from Two Decades of Deliberation and Collaboration" at the 2009 International Society for the Social Studies Conference in Orlando in February.

Leadership, Counseling and Instructional Technology:

Dr. Terence Cavanaugh had an article appear in The Florida Times-Union titled "Where in the World is Bella Swan?" which describes the book-mapping project he has been doing with the Florida Reading Association. Cavanaugh presented at the Eastern Educational Research Association (EERA) conference in Sarasota on "Using Web 2.0 Mapping Tools to Build Community Among Educational Leadership Distance Learning Students." Cavanaugh also presented three papers at the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education conference in Charleston, SC., including "Textbook Costs, Legislation and Options: Choosing your Textbook in the 21st Century"; a paper with Dr. Chris Weber (mentioned above); and "Class Map for Community in Online Education Courses," which he co-authored with two colleagues from other universities.

Student and International Affairs

International Center:

The International Center hosted the annual state conference for the Florida Association of International Educators (FAIE) in February. FAIE is comprised of international educators from across the state and provides its members professional education and training. During the conference, Meghan Hotchkiss presented a session titled "The 411 on the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship" and Ruth Lopez and Erika Rigby received the FAIE "You Made a World of Difference" award for their dedication and service to international students. Dr. Timothy Robinson was appointed for a second term as coordinator of the FAIE Jacksonville-East District.

Susannah Jischke completed the NAFSA training course F-1 for Beginners, which introduces new international student advisers to federal regulations, the SEVIS database and resources for advising international students. Jischke has since been added as a UNF Designated School Official (DSO), authorized to work with the University's federal compliance requirements on monitoring international students.

Get to Know

Martin Edwards

Department: Political Science and Public Administration Job: Director of Pre-Law Program and Senior Instructor Years at UNF: 18

If you could choose any other career, what would it be and why?I've had a career in the practice of law, in the public sector and private practice, and a career in teaching at UNF. I believe a third career might be in writing. I think it would give me an opportunity to create stories based upon some of the real cases I either prosecuted or defended. I've done some of that in the scenarios I've written for the mock trial class. We have a civil lawsuit brought by the Lone Ranger, and the arrest of Batman for drunk driving, for example. I was an assistant state attorney for four years and defended criminally accused clients for another 15 years. I also taught criminal law both at UNF and the Florida Coastal School of Law for a number of years. So I can draw on a wealth of experience in my writing.

Tell us about your family. My wife, Betty, is a graduate of Agnes Scott College and has a master's in counseling from UNF. She is semi-retired and caring for her mother. Our daughter, Angela, graduated with a degree in art history from Wake Forest University and received a second degree in computer graphics from UNF. She designs Web sites and is a power seller on eBay. Our son, Joshua, graduated with a degree in vocal performance from the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. He owns a condo in Jacksonville and has a Realtor's license, but lives in New York City, where he is auditioning for a part in a Broadway show.

Tell us something that would surprise people to know about you. I sold snow cones at the Woodstock Rock Festival in August of 1969.

What was the first concert you ever attended, and what was the most recent concert you attended? When I was a small boy, I attended a Duke Ellington concert. Talk about something different; my most recent concert attended was the Elton John-Billy Joel concert.

What is your favorite thing about working at UNF? I like the flexibility of my job and the opportunities to be creative. I've designed a number of new courses, which are regularly taught. I also enjoy introducing students to the law and watching many of them eventually become lawyers.

What would you like to do when you retire? Write about the law and continue traveling. Every summer we try to visit a different country. This summer it's China. We did Russia several years ago.

What is the best thing you ever won?The heart of my wife. We have been married 36 years.

What is the proudest/happiest moment of your life?This is easy, the birth of our two children.

What are you most passionate about? I am most passionate about family. Not just my wife and children. When each of my sister's three children graduated high school, my wife and I took each of them on a trip outside of the country. I'm also a passionate Florida Gator football and basketball fan. I worked in the Sports Publicity Department while a student at UF and later graduated from law school there. I am a past president of the Jacksonville Gator Club.

If you won the lottery, what would do with the money? Donate some of it to charities and causes I currently support.

What is your favorite way to blow an hour? I enjoy reading. I read a lot of non-fiction during the academic year and fiction during the summer.

What person had the greatest impact on your life? My father. He taught me many things about human nature and how to deal fairly with people.

Tell us something about you that even your friends don't know. I enjoy opera.

Good Question

Q -- From Mary Baron (Department of English): Is there a study/list of the many birds on campus Ð residents and turistas?

A -- From AyoLane Halusky (Eco-Adventure coordinator and chief ranger of the Wildlife Sanctuary): The rangers for UNF's Wildlife Sanctuary currently do not have a program to monitor migrations. The local chapter of the Audubon Society walks the trails twice a year and conducts a count. Ann Turner conducted the walk this winter. We are working to create an Eco-Tourism Certification through Continuing Ed here at UNF. A portion of the certificate will be about monitoring flora and fauna. Anyone interested in getting involved can contact me at ayolane.halusky@unf.edua.

Q -- From Nancy Purvis (Student Affairs): Is there anyway that benches might be provided around the fountain in front of the Arena?

A -- From Matthew Taylor (Director of Physical Facilities): This is not an easy question to address. The area has been kept open because of numerous outside functions and activities that take place in the area surrounding the fountain. We will look at the possibility of placing some benches in areas that do not impact the plaza. Thanks for the suggestion.